An Angel's Ninja
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: A twist of fate strands a wounded warrior in a distant realm; a wretched hive of scum and villainy from which there can be no escape. It also leads him to a girl...a stranger without memories. Not entirely human, yet so much more. Will they rise above this world or be dragged down with the rest of them? NarutoxAlita. Based on the move Alita: Battle Angel. Reviews are welcome!
1. Start

**A/N: Inspiration is the font of imagination, wouldn't you say?**

**I recently had the privilege of seeing Alita: Battle Angel and well...how do I put this...**

**...go see it.**

**NOW.**

**Seriously, this move is one in a million and it absolutely blew me away. Apparently there's even a novel, as well as a prequel one at that. Guess I'm buying them~!**

**I had NO idea what it was about, so I went in with zero expectations...and was utterly blown away. Now, I'm rarely one to get so invested in a movie, but there was one scene in particular that really riled me up toward the end-I think you all know what I'm talking about-and from that this inkling was born. ****For those who are wondering, no this isn't going to distract me from my other projects. I can assure you of that. This story will be short. Five, maybe six chapters at most.**

**Timeline wise, this is the Naruto directly after the final battle with Sasuke. Missing arm and all. Oh dear, did I say missing arm? ****Why, I believe I did!**

**As to how our boy found his way here, well...**

**...that would be telling now, wouldn't it? **

**So now, without further adieu...**

**...An Angel's Ninja.**

_"What did you do?!"_

_~?_

**Prologue**

This was not his home.

_...waking up!"_ a man's voice trickled into his ear.

Uzumaki Naruto knew it the moment he opened his eyes to blinding light and a faded ceiling; realized it when he woke to find himself strapped down to an operating table. Shock paralyzed him, dulling what might have otherwise proven an explosive reaction. Even then that brief interlude lasted only a nanosecond. A horrendous heartbeat. Little more.

Time slowed to a crawl, all the colors of the world fading to grey.

His memory offered little in the way of explanation, thought all but wiped from his mind. Mercifully it wasn't amnesia as he'd initially feared; he remembered who he was, where he had been, what he had been doing only minutes before. He clearly recalled fighting Sasuke. Beating him. Blowing both their arms off in their final clash. So much blood. Sakura had scolded him for that, but he'd been so terribly tired that he'd scarcely heard her at all. So tired. Yes, so sleepy, just needed to close his eyes, for a bit, yes just a moment...

...now he opened them to find himself in a world gone wrong.

Just like that, the world snapped back and he found himself cast adrift once more.

A worn visage loomed over him suddenly, grey and wrinkled with age. That bespectacled face should have been comforting. But it didn't register on an emotional level; nothing did. Shock had numbed everything, even the words that the aging-doctor?-droned at him.

"Easy now...you've lost a lot of blood." a steadying hand laid itself to rest upon his shoulder. "When we found you in that alley, you were barely breathing. You're going to be alright now."

_Alley?_

Doubtless those words had been meant to soothe him. They did not. If anything they only agitated Naruto. How would one react to finding themselves trussed and bound like some kind of lab experiment? Not well, let me tell you. This was not the case of course; nothing could be further from the truth. He was in good hands here, this man wanted nothing more than to help him. Naturally, the whiskered warrior had no way of knowing this, indeed, how could he? He was weak, groggy, and very much not in his right mind.

He couldn't help it; he panicked.

Cold metal seized against his bare back.

With a roar he bucked his back and jerked upright.

Chakra roared to life in his broken body, empowering his remaining limbs tenfold as blue eyes blazed red and skin shone with burnished gold. This time, when Naruto fought back, the leather cords could no longer resist him. Strong hands seized metal and leather alike, shearing them apart with an ease borne of hideous strength, shredding them as though they were little more than plastic. The doctor shrank back, but too slowly; in the time it took him to step back-to realize his own peril-the blond pounced on him, seizing him by the collar of his shirt. With merely a thought, he hauled him off the floor.

"Where am I?!" he growled. "Who are you?!"

Wait a minute. Hands?

Confusion sapped his anger, momentarily distracting him. He only had one hand. Didn't he...? So how was he holding the man up? A flicker of shadow danced in his peripherals, a blot of inky darkness standing out against the shimmering shroud that subsumed his skin. Then he saw it.

_His arm._

Red eyes bulged wide.

"Oh, what the hell is this?!"

Initially, his first instinct was to tear the damn thing off altogether and be rid of it; he nearly did at that. Only some vague sense of reason stayed his hand.

His right arm should have been organic for the most part below the shoulder, but that was where flesh ended and metal began. Instead he found himself gawping at a _metal limb,_ an amalgamation of strange steel and cold technology he didn't recognize. Sleek blackened metal polished with a flowing ruby red trim, it was a marvel of engineering. Really-he should've been grateful. He'd all but given up any feasible hope of having a functioning limb the moment he'd seen the ruined wreck of his arm, resigning himself to the grim reality that he'd just have to get by without it.

When he willed it, the fingers curled around the man's shirt, responding ably to his thoughts.

Well.

This would take some getting used to.

On a whim he tried channeling chakra to this new arm, to no avail. That avenue was lost to him. The metal stood apart from the rest of his cloak, cold and uncaring. Chakra flooded his left arm willingly enough, but it did little to soothe his ragged nerves. He found himself adrift again, simultaneously awed and horrified by his new limb-the sudden realization that he'd have to get by without weaving seals-as much as his new surroundings, no more than that, he had no earthly idea where he was, or even how he'd gotten here in the first place! It was all too much to take in at once, too overwhelming.

The man raised his hands in peace then, diverting his attention yet again.

"My name...is Ido. You're in my clinic, son." he soothed, speaking slowly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

After a moment's thought, the blond released him.

An angry finger jabbed into the man's chest. "Don't follow me."

"Wait-!"

_Naruto most assuredly did not._

Slamming down the door without thought for its owner, the battered blond nearly found himself blinded by the light that issued forth. With a hiss he flung up an arm to shield his face and nearly ran headlong into a cart; it was only years of honed instinct that saved him. Vaulting over it he collided with a wall and sprang away, sparing no thought for whom he startled; he didn't even see them. He longed only to move; to flee, to run, to get as far away from this strange place as possible. He didn't care where his legs took him, only that it was far from here.

And when his legs finally failed him, when he could run no further, his view of the world was shaken further still.

Alighting upon the nearest roof he could find, Naruto finally took a moment to survey his surroundings.

Aghast, he could only balk at them.

The world that awaited him below was...not what he'd expected. Not at all. He'd thought to find himself underground, in some sort of subterranean base at the very least. Or in the village. Instead the afternoon sun shone freely down upon him, illuminating a world straight out of some eldritch fantasy. People from all walks of life, man and machine alike, others some strange unholy union between the two. Strange machines thundered past, large and small. Spirits, some of them didn't even look human.

And there, looming over them all...

...spirits, what was that thing? A city? In the sky? It was larger than anything he'd ever seen-and he'd _seen _a sky city before!-a giant discus that dominated both heaven and earth. Just the sight of it filled him with a faint sense of dread, though he couldn't hope to put a name to it. Only that the sight of this strange sky-city set him ill at ease. So too, did the city below. This wasn't home. This wasn't Konoha. Damnit. Panic ignited in his chest and he stubbornly fought it down, to no avail. He didn't know what to do. He could barely think, much less breathe.

Naruto laughed softly then; it was an empty, hollow sound.

...well." he croaked. "I don't think I'm in the Elemental Nations anymore."

If the rusty city below had any answers for him, it was loathe to let them slip away.

Cradling his head in his hands, he dropped to his haunches and waited for reason to come back to him.

Hours flitted by in the blink of an eye, the sky turning dark as the blazing disk of the sun slowly slunk away. Finally, he stood.

In the end, for lack of anything better to do, Uzumaki Naruto eventually wandered back to Ido's clinic. Not out of any real desire to return, but simply because he had nowhere to go. His body remembered the way even if his fractured mind did not. He had questions of course, and the doctor-surprisingly-was all too happy to answer them now that his patient had calmed. Conversation was struck up easily; almost effortlessly in spite of their earlier misunderstanding. A simple act of kindness, one that would throw the world off-kilter.

Neither realized the consequence of their actions.

Neither gave it any pause, any thought.

_The next day, they found an angel._

**A/N: Ta-da~!**

**Before anyone asks, yes, this is based on the MOVIE. Not the actual anime, though I may take some cues from it. This story's going to have lots of heart, humor, and action; every bit that the movie had and more.**

**Seriously, you really should go see it; I promise you won't be disappointed.**

**So lets clarify some things; Naruto has his chakra. He simply lost his arm-one Ido replaced with a mechanical limb-but he's still very much a threat. Perhaps a bit jaded and confused, but that aside, he's every bit the blond we all know and love.**

**Alita arrives next chapter, of course. It felt wrong to cram her in here. Fear not, I intend to do her justice, fierce little thing that she is! Small wonder the movie's doing so well; its just so damn easy to empathize with her. She's quite likable and watching her grow wand evolve throughout the story was an absolute treat.**

**Again, this story won't be terribly long. Five, maybe six chapters at most.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews!**

**Potential ones at that.**

**(Previews)**

_"BURN THEM ALL!"  
_

* * *

_"Please tell me you're still here."_

_An irritate grunt greeted him. **"You're not getting rid of me that easily."**_

_In that moment, Naruto didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In the end he settled for the former._

* * *

_"Good morning', sunshine~!"_

_She opened her eyes._

* * *

_"Aw, what's a meatbag like you doing in a place like-_

_CRUNCH._

_"You were saying?"_

* * *

_A low growl was the hunter's only warning._

_Then he flew._

**R&R~!**


	2. Angel

**A/N: Reviews are my fuel; they keep me alive.**

**Seriously, though.**

**I'm going to shoot for monthly updates with this story; so far, so good!**

**In any case, I've gotten ahold of the movie novelization as well as the prequel novel, Iron City and I have this to say:**

**HOLY CRAP THE BOOKS ARE EVEN BETTER 0_0**

**Now then, for your questions!**

**Q: So this is "pure" Naruto we're dealing with?**

**A: Pretty much, just with a mechanical arm and a bit baffled by the sudden change of scenery. Now, this doesn't cut back his abilities as much as you think. Recall that he only needs seals to create clones. Rasenshuriken? Rasengan? Sage Mode? He can still use those...and obviously his chakra cloak. But as we've seen, he isn't invincible and his enemies aren't human. Our boy doesn't know the technology he's up against, and that puts him at a distinct disadvantage. But give him time to wind up...**

**...and you're gonna have a bad time.**

**Q: Naruto's going to get the naivete kicked out of him, isn't he?**

**A: He's going to have to learn the hard way, yes. **

**Q: What perspectives can we expect here?**

**A: I'm going to try and alternate between Naruto and Alita for each chapter. This may change of course, but since the last chapter focused on Naruto...**

**...well, obviously its time for our girl to shine.**

**Q: How are Alita and Naruto going to deal with one another?**

**A: They're both strangers to each other at the moment, but they do start to connect in this chapter. We all know these things start slow.**

**Q: Naruto's dense as a brick; how're you going to get around that?**

**A: Trust me, some of that denseness has already been knocked out of him; the rest will be dealt with quite shortly. Fools don't live long in Iron City.**

**Q: Wait, wait, wait! What about Hugo?!**

**A: I have VERY little patience for him before he redeems himself, but I do respect the effort he made to turn his life around. As to whether he meets the same fate as in the movie...well.**

**Q: Naruto better be careful, with a little manipulating Vector and Nova could give him hell.**

**A: He's not the sort to get outmaneuvered easily; even then he can outrun most pursuers when put to it. No, his handicap is his mercy. I can't recall him ever willingly killing someone unless there was no other choice. We'll see if that mentality holds up here...**

**Now we get right down to the meat of the matter here and its absolutely glorious.**

**Oh, and obvious quote is obvious~!**

**Sorry if this one is a little short!**

**Next one will be longer!**

_"Look let me give you some advice since you're obviously lost here: the best aren't the smartest or even the strongest..._

_...no, they're the fiercest. Do you understand me, lad? No? Too bad. Look at me. Listen. You gotta be tough._

_You gotta be unpredictable. You gotta be indestructible, and abso-fucking-lutely ruthless._

_If you aren't; this place will eat you and that girl alive. Or worse. _

_Trust me; there are things worse than death."_

_~?_

**Angel**

She didn't want to wake up.

This place was safe and warm and_ damnitallshedidnotwannaleavethisbed._ The gentle embrace of sleep wrapped itself around her like a soft blanket, cocooning her in comfort, one she was loathe to leave behind. Still, she knew a lost cause when she saw it. A small yawn curled at the corners of her mouth and without thinking she reflexively covered her mouth. Her eyes squeezed shut against the light-wait, why was there light?-and try as she might, though her body was reluctant to wake from this sweet and dreamless slumber, her mind had other ideas.

Sleepy eyes drifted open.

Saw her hand.

_Wait._

With a sudden start the girl jolts upright and flails at the sheets, her thoughts turning disjointed and stilted. These are not her arms. These are not her legs. This is not her body. She doesn't know how she knew this-only that she does. Wriggling her fingers and toes does precious little to assuage the storm of confusion banging about in her brain. Because she has hands. Fingers. Legs. Feet. Toes. _A body. _Hers was a chassis crafted with love and care; painstakingly carved by tender palms.

None of which belonged to her.

And yet...

...she smiled.

The sight of an unfamiliar body and limbs should've terrified her; yet it did not.

Though her mind was her own, though she she felt as if she were forgetting something horribly important-a terrible truth that eeled through her fingers when she reached for it-that same confusion was dwarfed by the simple yet unbridled joy of _being able to move again._

Reality reasserted itself a jarring start as she realized she'd been starring at her hands, idly watching her artificial fingers curl inward and outward. Her surroundings dimly registered against the backdrop of her mind, yet she failed to recognize them.

This was a girl's room, but she had no way of knowing if was hers? Was it hers?

Did it belong to her?

An empty, stifling void awaited her when she tried to remember, and for a moment-just a moment-she panicked.

_Why can't I remember? Who am I? What am I? Why am I here? Why why why whywhywhywhywhy...?!_

Something in her hardened in response to this emotional trauma and, flinging off the covers from her body she rose uncertainty from the bed to her feet. After a moment's consideration in which she wobbled like a child learning to walk for the first time she padded toward the mirror at the far end of the room. In this aspect, her new body only betrayed her once, stumbling briefly before she found her footing again.

The face that gazed back at her was unequivocally her own.

Her reflection-the face of a young girl-gazed back at her in serene aw, looking as she shocked as she felt. A gentle face with soft eyes, framed by dark hair the color of midnight. Supple skin felt smooth yet supple beneath her fingertips-and something deep in her soul told her this, at least, was her face. She turned admiring the rest of herself-this strange, doll like body-bounding on the balls of her feet. She felt light. Weightless. Like a graceful angel.

_"Well, hell."_ she murmured for lack of anything better to say.

Hmm. Was this her voice?

She rather liked it.

A harsh crash shattered that thought and turned her attention elsewhere.

"Ow!" a young man's voice echoed below. "That really stings!"

Mercifully, the door to her room wasn't locked and opened silently at her touch. The hallway beyond was as alien to her as the room with its stuffed animals; though this served as little more than a short corridor that led downstairs before being framed by an esoteric railing.

Slinking down the stairs one step at a time, she found the source of the noise that heard.

"Aw, c'mon, doc." a low, drawling voice greeted her. "I'm not that special, really...

The first thing she saw was a young man's broad back.

Clad in the tattered remains of what _might _have been an orange-and-black jumpsuit once, he didn't yet notice her; rather, his gaze was fixated on something else entirely. Someone had set up a strange...platform of sorts bearing a series of propped up metal sheets, to which was looking most intently. When he turned she found the cause; one of his arms ended in a sleek steel appendage with a black crimson polish. When he turned further still she glimpse whiskered cheeks and blue eyes, the latter framed against a shaggy mess of blond hair barely held in check by a strange black cloth of sorts.

"How does it feel?" an older man's voice arose somewhere out of sight.

The young man laughed. "Packs a punch, I'll give you that."

Creeping down further, she realized he wasn't alone.

With this she noticed the other man with him.

He seemed...almost sad, somehow.

Clad in medical scrubs, he was pale of hair and fair of face, a pair of round spectacles dominating his otherwise creased visage. For lack of a better name-for now-the girl decided she would call him the Doctor. He regarded the battered blond with something akin to concerned awe, but that didn't stop him from taking a tool to adjust something in the young man's arm. For his part, the whiskered warrior didn't resist his ministrations, allowing the older man to put him to rights.

"No discomfort?"

"Well...its kinda stiff, ya know." came the rejoinder as he paused to flex his fingers. "Heavier than I'm used to, at any rate." said fingers curled into a fist and he made a satisfied sound as the Doctor stepped back. "Can't make seals with it...bet I can still punch pretty hard though. _Watch."_

With that said he spun on his heel and struck out with his artificial arm, as though he were shadow-boxing an imaginary opponent before him. A bead of sweat flicked from his brow and the blond's fist rocketed forward, obliterating it before it could fall. Quite suddenly, the rest of him moved. For a fleeting instant his entire body _pulsed, body _turning gold, eyes searing red.

Then one of the metal sheets folded in half and shot across the room as though it had been struck.

The blond whistled.

"Hot damn~!" he crowed, flinging his arms up in joyous exultance. "I've still got it! You're the best!"

The Doctor arched an eyebrow at said sheets and frowned, but didn't challenge him further. He'd either become inured to the sight or simply given up trying to understand it. The girl turned her attention back to the blond, regarding him with renewed fascination. Her mind might be muddled and blank where her many things-her identity included-were concerned-but she was fairly certain people shouldn't be able to...glow. Not like that. Ah, but the Doctor was speaking again and thus she found her contemplation cut short.

-awfully considerate of, given the fit you threw earlier."

The young man's startling grin flashed out and something in her heart skipped a beat.

"Don't have much choice do I?" he paused, considering. "If you're a bad guy, I'll just have to lock you up."

A brief pained look flashed across the Doctor's weathered visage, gone before the blond could firmly grasp it. Of the three individuals currently residing in the clinic, two failed to realize just how naive that statement was. The third, Ido, regarded this innocent statement with thinly-veiled pity, but he didn't challenge it. Jails? In Iron City? Had he been a more jaded man he might've laughed. The strong thrived here; the weak perished. That was the law of the land. Of course, this newcomer had no way of knowing that. In the end he willed himself to smile, no matter how hollow he might feel on the inside.

...how considerate of you."

The girl also had no way of knowing this; or perhaps she had once, and merely forgotten.

That heart-skipping grin flashed out again and she found her thoughts infuriatingly stymied once more. "What can I say? I'm a people person. Now, why don't we try one more?"

Still. the Doctor blanched.

"Naruto, I really don't think you should-

Apparently he took that remark as a challenge; because in a single seamless motion the blond spun and cut three rapid punches at the largest sheet of metal. The first dented it; the second punctured, and upon the third his artificial arm plowed right through with nearly no resistance at all; in fact, the excessive force proved much to his detriment. Misjudging the force behind his new limb the blond _did _succeed in striking his target, but the momentum behind it sending him stumbled forward to crash headlong into the stand with a startled squawk. Oddly enough, this bumbling humanized him in her eyes.

"Ouch!"

The girl couldn't help herself any longer; she giggled aloud.

Soft though the sound might have been, both men-young and old alike-immediately rounded on it.

All eyes snapped towards the sound.

Towards her.

It was the blond who recovered his voice first.

_"Good morning', sunshine~!"_

A flicker of fear ignited in her breast and she shrank back, wondering if she should flee. Her entire body tensed, ready to spring at the slightest provocation. Were they going to attack? The Doctor looked quite shocked to see her up and about, but it was the blond who truly concerned her; anyone who could wreak that kind of destruction was someone to be wary of indeed. Something in her coiled at the sight of him; here was a danger, a threat, someone who could _harm _her if he took it into his head to do it. Who knew what else this one was capable of?

Thus it came as something of a surprise when the younger of the two raised his arms, artificial and flesh alike, and took a small step forward.

"Easy, now." he soothed, making what he no doubt believed to be a placating motion. "We're not going to hurt you."

The girl shrank back.

"I can step out if you like," He offered and his earnest smile briefly banished her fears, "You're looking about as lost as I felt earlier."

To her dismay he looked ready to do just that.

When he turned to go, she cried out. "No! Wait...!"

The young man did as he was bade, but stepped back regardless.

"What's your name?"

Despite herself, the girl flinched.

...I don't know."

He actually blinked at that.

"You don't know?" his voice piqued, as though he weren't sure whether to laugh or frown. "How can you _not _know something like that?"

There was no judgement to be had in his words, only quiet confusion.

"Should I...know you?" she ventured.

"Nope." his head swayed left to right in denial. "Never seen you before the Doc over there fished you out of that junk heap." just like that, his words charged headlong through her fears and decimated them. "Well, _my_ name's Naruto, at any rate. Nice to meet you!" Thus declaring himself, he offered her his hand.

The girl regarded it owlishly. Blinked, once.

"Don't worry," he soothed, "I don't bite."

Still, she hesitated.

For all his quiet resolve, she didn't sense any duplicity in his smile. He wasn't trying to trick her; indeed, he was being wholly open with her. With that the tension in her shoulders eased and the girl released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

In the end, she took it, her fingers curling around his palm, and allowed him to lead her forward.

"See!" he chirruped happily, wholly ignorant of her expression. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Now, let's get you sorted. You must be hungry. Wait, you _do _eat food, right...?"

Once more that dazzling smile flashed out at as he babbled at her in that strange, comforting way of his; once more her heart gave a strange lurch that she couldn't quite quantify as he tugged her toward a table. She didn't know this person. They'd never met before. Of that much she was certain-a certainty that resonated within her very core-and yet she trusted him all the same. She felt warm when she looked into those wild blue eyes. Safe. Nothing compelled her to believe in him, nothing forced her hand, nothing ordered her or demanded her unfaltering obedience. It was simply a choice on her part, a young girl choosing to trust an equally young boy.

Such a simple decision.

The tiniest ripple in a pond.

_It would change their world forever._

**A/N: Ta-da~!**

**By the time you read this, I'll likely be at the movies seeing Alita again. For the fifth time. Hell of a movie that, and one I'll gladly support.**

**It has also come to my attention that-at the time of writing this note-this seems to be the only Alita/Naruto story on this site.**

**...why?**

**I know many authors-many who are better than me by leaps and bounds-who would write this far better than an amateur like I. C'mon guys! Have at it! Let your imagination flow! I want to see what you all can do! I know it'll be great! I can't wait~!**

**So here we are; that's me, throwing down the gauntlet.**

**I've also decided to make this story a little bit longer since everyone seems to be so enamored of it at the moment. I hope this has whetted your appetite dear readers; because its from here on out that we put the pedal to the metal; one that won't let up into the end.**

**I won't give anything away, but expect this to be a roller-coaster ride. Heart, humor, sorrow, action/adventure, and of course, romance.**

**...this story's gonna have it all, and its gonna be one of my greats.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews!**

**Potential ones at that.**

**(Previews)**

_...move."_

_"Make me, you shitty little upstart!"_

_Naruto blew out a small, exasperated sigh. __"Look, can we not do this right now? I'm a little irritated-_

_The blade flicked toward his face and with long-suffering patience he raised an arm. Once. Twice. Thrice. Each time that jagged weapon viciously sought his head; each time it found itself intercepted; effortlessly deflected as a lone golden finger made contact with the side of the of the ramshackle weapon. Naruto didn't give ground; on the contrary, with each attack he advanced, uncaring for the numbers, of the enemy, of the situation, of any of it; because she was in danger** and they were in his way.**_

_Finally the hunter stepped back, aghast._

_"What the hell are you?"_

_Naruto barely heard him. Rage roared up in him, high and mighty and indignant. When the hunter cut out again he didn't even deign to dodge; rather he stepped forward, caught the blade between two fingers, and ripped it from his grasp. Momentum took over, and his attack stumbled forward. Into a clawed fist. _

_One that sheared off half his face._

_...annoyed."_

* * *

_"What is that?"_

_"Its called music." __Laughing, he took her hand._

_Alita's brow shot to her hairline. __"Noooooo no, no! I'm a horrible dancer-ack!"_

* * *

_"You're one of a kind."  
_

_Alita chirruped happily, pleased with this observation. "I certainly am, aren't I?"_

_"Yeah, you're loud, bossy, and honestly, quite a handful, but-_

_She swatted him on the back of the head and he he yelped. __"Ow! I was going to compliment you!"_

_"Oh." she blinked. "Proceed."_

_"Jeez you hit hard..._

* * *

_The boy caught his fist effortlessly, crumpling it as though it were made of paper mache._

_Red eyes blazed up at him, glazed with hate. _**_"You shouldn't have done that."_**

* * *

_"Everyone has a weakness."_

_A booted foot cannoned into his face._

_"Well my "weakness" can kick your ass seven ways to Sunday. I think we're good."_

**R&R~!**


	3. Questions (Interlude)

**A/N: *GASP***

**DOUBLE UPDATE DAY WHOO~!**

**I actually updated something that wasn't a Fate story?! Hersey!?**

** The site's being difficult at the moment regarding email notifications and the like. Sorry about that. Feel free to review and I'll be more than happy to respond when I can-working a double as you read this-so by all means, read on!**

**ALSO! What's this I hear about Alita not getting a sequel?!**

**So as a present of sorts, here's an update. I'm not feeling any pain at the moment so I'm going to try and crank this out before I get crippled again. Game of Thrones and Endgame delayed this chapter more than I would've liked-not to mention the whole second job thing-but I've done my best to beat back the depression and put my fingers to the keys once more.**

**As ever reviews are my fuel; they keep me alive and writing.**

**Seriously, though.**

**Now then, for your questions!**

**Q: Don't nerf Alita please.**

**A: Oh trust me she's going to be spectacular.**

**Q: So the pairing is clearly Naruto x Alita but what about the other girls?**

**A: Other girls? What are you on about? As I said, this is a single pairing story. No harem here.**

**Q: Can we expect some more wild action scenes, or is this going to be more a slice of life kinda story?**

**A: It'll be both of course, I want to stay true to the movie while adding my own flair. I'll do my best not to disappoint.**

**Q: Did you read the manga? There's a lot that's been crammed into the movie and I feel that you're missing out on some good bits.**

**A: Alas, I have not in awhile, really need to get my hands on it again. For now, we continue as planned, but I'm open to making changes of course.**

**Q: Real quick, have you seen Endgame? And Game of Thrones? Those were some real tear-jerkers, especially given the recent episode of the latter. What are your thoughts? Are you going to write something on them?**

**A: Already am, in a sense...**

**Now we get right down to the meat of the matter here and it's absolutely glorious.**

**Oh, and obvious quotes are obvious~!**

**Sorry if this one is a little short!**

**Next one will be longer!**

_"I want to see everything!"_

_"Not sure about everything, but I can try."_

_"Oh! Well, that sounds good. Where should we start?"_

_~?_

**Questions (Interlude)**

Alita.

That was her name.

Ido had given it to the girl and it suited her.

Almost too well in fact. That name seemed to define her, a truly free soul unburdened by the weight of being a victim of this cruel world; a child lifted by the innocence and naivety of youth, with no memories to weigh her down, her eyes wide with wonder as she took int he world anew. As though she were truly seeing everything for the first time. More than once Naruto found he had to reach out and pluck her out of someone's path or yet worse, lest she crash headlong into one of the grizzled bystanders striding about. She didn't seem to mind.

Well... at least that's how it appeared on the outside.

Even with his chosen task of guarding her, Naruto found himself at something of a loss where Alita was concerned. His mind couldn't help but draw comparisons with someone much younger in mind, if not body. So full of energy, so energetic, so...hopeful. Filled with energy and boundless curiosity, her enthusiasm soon proved infectious. Alita was a veritable blur of energy, bounding over crates, somersaulting around obstacles, laughing as only someone naive to the way of the world would. And the questions!

_So many questions!_

He found himself bombarded by them and it was here his lack of knowledge for this world shone through. Time and time again he found himself forced to deflect her attention toward Ido, in the hopes that the doctor would be able to at least offer some modicum of an answer for the endless stream of inquiries that flowed forth. And for the most part he was able to do just that. Yet in nearly no time at all her questions returned to _him_ and he found himself flailing all over again.

"How does that work?" Alita pointed out a passing four-legged titan.

A small smirk quirked at the blond's lips. "I don't know."

"Ooh! Who's that?" in the next beat she gazed at towering mountain of a mech that was more machine than man.

The tiny smirk twitched into a smile. "I don't know."

He'd scarcely spoken before she bounded past him , pausing just long enough to gaze up a the towering city overhead. "What's that called?"

He was outright grinning now. "I don't know."

Quick as a blink she twirled on him. "Tell me, is "I don't know" all you can say?"

For a moment Naruto actually found himself taken aback by her wit. Belatedly, he realized he was still smiling, laughing even. Her blind enthusiasm had stirred something in him. It almost made him feel better, really. One could even say it reminded him of days that seemed so far away. Days he knew he never would be able to experience again_-no! _He stubbornly squashed down the resentment bubbling in his chest, his heart aching from the acknowledgement of his fate. He refused to acknowledge it. Instead he chose to smile.

"No." he said simply, deliberately, knowing that it would startle the girl.

Her eyes widened in childish delight. "I knew it! You _can_ speak!"

Ido planted a hand over his mouth to stifle a chuckle.

Naruto offered a helpless shrug and quick as a flash, Alita was off again, this time to inspect a cage of tweeting sparrows.

With a long-suffering sigh, he trailed after her, with Ido only a step behind.

"Energetic, isn't she?"

"I don't know what to do with her." he shrugged helplessly as they skirted a pair hard-looking men, his artificial arm offering a soft _whirrrr_ of protest as he edged to one side. The bruiser glowered at him for skirting so close, but the blond paid him no heed. "She's so...so...you know. Alive. But its not the right word. " his fingers flailed for a moment, trying to find the word, only to fail spectacularly. "You know what I'm taking about, right? I'm thinking of another word for colorful, but for the life of me I can't-

"Vibrant?" the doctor offered.

"Yes!" false fingers collided in a sharp snap. "That's the word. I've never seen someone so full of energy."

"You're fond of her, aren't you?" it wasn't a question, and his own hesitation shamed him.

...maybe?" he glimpsed the girl ahead, her attention claimed by a passing screen before the doctor grimaced and ushered her away from the ghastly sport portrayed within. "She's sweet. Reminds me of myself when I was younger. _Much_ younger!" he amended with a laugh at the doctor's questing gaze. "Its still a bit of wrench, dealing with all of this."

"Take your time." the surgeon reassured him as their charge bounded away again. "You can stay with me for as long as you like...so long as you don't cause trouble."

Why did this surgeon remind him so much of the Third Hokage?

At a glance they didn't look remotely alike; but were one to look deeper they would see the same sort of gentle soul within. Of course, Ido-or Doc as Naruto had come to call him-wasn't the same. He never would be. But to see someone kind enough to open his door to a stranger in a world like this, well, it almost made him feel at home. Now if he could just find a way back-

"Puppy~!"

A distant bark claimed their attention.

Naruto swore loudly at what he saw in the distance. "Alita, _no!_ Put the pooch down! Don't squeeze it that hard! Be gentle! _Gentle!"_

_"But its so fluffy!"_

She certainly helped to distract him from his woes in the following hours if nothing else.

Alita knew how to walk and talk in the traditional sense, yet that was where her knowledge ended. In so many ways she reminded him of a little girl. At first. Yet with each answer her mind seemed to sharpen, taking on a keen edge at a startling rate. When she let that little dog lick her fingers, Naruto caught himself smiling. When she bit into orange without bothering to peel the skin off he almost chuckled.

When she tried to do the same to a bar of _chocolate_ Naruto all but howled with laughter.

"Blech!" she cried! "How do you eat this?!"

Shaking with suppressed snickers, he scooted up to her side.

"No, not like this. Here." his fingers wrapped around hers and plucked it from her hand. He couldn't quite keep the smile from his lips, for she watched him like a hawk as he peeled the wrapper off the bar, her large eyes watching in curiosity as the chocolaty goodness that lied within was revealed. When he offered it to her, she hesitated.

"I can have this?"

His shoulders rolled in a shrug. "Chocolate was never really my thing, so...

Mutely, he pushed it into her palms and folded her hands around it. With only the faintest flicker of uncertainty, Alita opened her mouth and bit down on the chocolate bar. Chewed. Slowly. With each bite she carefully-as best as he could-worked to pull back

Her look of delight as she devoured the poor thing was truly something to behold.

How could some derive such joy for a simple piece of candy?

You couldn't fake that kind of bliss.

"Mmm! 'S good!"

All things considered, Naruto was almost inclined to trust her outright.

There some connection that he had with the curious cyborg that simply had stumbled into his life, something that he couldn't explain.

A kindred spirit perhaps?

He didn't dwell on it for long.

Besides, he other matters to attend to.

Taking care of the surprisingly agile Alita for instance. If only she wasn't so damned fast. Even he had trouble keeping pace in his temporarily weakened state. Him! Of all people to have trouble keeping pace for essentially a glorified teenager, one who wouldn't let her newfound enthusiasm be dulled. She was, for all intents and purposes, pure. Everything was new and different-in some cases outright faded-but the shining example of it all stood as a curiosity for her, for everyone, for everything.

In the end, he shouldn't have been surprised when she finally turned those eager eyes-and her questions-on him once more.

"So who are_ you?"_ she asked, gazing up at him curiously. "Where do you come from? Are you from here?"

Naruto fought down a guffaw. "Full of questions today, aren't you? I'd rather not-

What he saw there in Alita's face caused him to hold his tongue.

She looked so...sad. As if he'd broken her heart.

So he told her. Slowly, at first.

He told her it all.

**A/N: So tired...working a double sucks, and I'll be working it again by the time you read this. Still...**

** Ta-da~!**

**Felt good to get this off the ground again, though my attention has been focused of Game of Thrones and Fate Stay Night as of late. I'll do my best to keep up with everything, don't you worry! After all, reviews are water to my wine, and hearing from you wonderful people keeps the creative juices flowing.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews!**

**Potential ones at that.**

**(Previews)**

_...move."_

_"Make me, you shitty little upstart!"_

_Naruto blew out a small, exasperated sigh. "Look, can we not do this right now? I'm a little irritated-_

_The blade flicked toward his face and with long-suffering patience he raised an arm. Once. Twice. Thrice. Each time that jagged weapon viciously sought his head; each time it found itself intercepted; effortlessly deflected as a lone golden finger made contact with the side of the of the ramshackle weapon. Naruto didn't give ground; on the contrary, with each attack he advanced, uncaring for the numbers, of the enemy, of the situation, of any of it; because she was in danger and they were in his way._

_Finally the hunter stepped back, aghast._

_"What the hell are you?"_

_Naruto barely heard him. Rage roared up in him, high and mighty and indignant. When the hunter cut out again he didn't even deign to dodge; rather he stepped forward, caught the blade between two fingers, and ripped it from his grasp. Momentum took over, and his attack stumbled forward. Into a clawed fist._

_One that sheared off half his face._

_...annoyed."_

* * *

_"What is that?"_

_"Its called music." Laughing, he took her hand._

_Alita's brow shot to her hairline. "Noooooo no, no! I'm a horrible dancer-ack!"_

* * *

_"You're one of a kind."_

_Alita chirruped happily, pleased with this observation. "I certainly am, aren't I?"_

_"Yeah, you're loud, bossy, and honestly, quite a handful, but-_

_She swatted him on the back of the head and he he yelped. "Ow! I was going to compliment you!"_

_"Oh." she blinked. "Proceed."_

_"Jeez you hit hard..._

* * *

_The boy caught his fist effortlessly, crumpling it as though it were made of paper mache._

_Red eyes blazed up at him, glazed with hate. "You shouldn't have done that."_

* * *

_"Everyone has a weakness."_

_A booted foot cannoned into his face._

_"Well my "weakness" can kick your ass seven ways to Sunday. I think we're good."_

**R&R~!**


End file.
